The rise in popularity of computer networks such as the Internet has led software application developers to create complex software applications which interact between computer systems over the network. One example of such a software application is a collaboration system which allows multiple Internet browsers (i.e., users controlling such browsers) referred to as participants to partake in a shared web session via a collaboration server. Generally, the collaboration server serves as a point of contact for the participant browsers and manages the shared collaboration session. When supporting one or more collaboration sessions that include multiple web browser participants, the collaboration server allows at least one participant browser to “drive” or control the shared collaboration session (e.g., one participant browser “surfs” or navigates pages served by the web server) while the other remaining participant browsers are directed to receive a copy of any content information such as web pages as they appear to the controlling participant browser. In this manner, the controlling browser can guide other participant browsers through a shared web session without requiring the other users of other participant browsers to interact with this web browser. This is only one example of collaboration of which there may be other forms.
Generally, upon initiation of a collaboration session, each participant browser identifies itself to the collaboration server and collaboration server begins a process of maintaining URL information associated with the shared web session between the participant browsers and the collaboration server. The purpose for this URL information is so that when other participants join the shared collaboration session, the collaboration server may provide those other participant browsers with the URL information related to the shared collaboration session so those participants can view pages related to that shared session. In a conventional collaboration system, the collaboration server operating in this manner is responsible for maintaining the URL information related to pages that participant browsers visit.